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Hey there humour-enthusiast! Welcome to the world of dad jokes; guaranteed to make you laugh in ways you never thought possible.

Their haphazard construction, their random references and their timeless adherence to comedic accuracy make them some of the sharpest weapons in the giggle-armament. So let’s embark upon a journey of laughter, and break down the best dad jokes (because not all dad jokes are created equal).

First, the impactful pun. A tried and tested staple of comedy, dad jokes often use puns in order to deliver their spectacular punchlines. For example, an astronaut yells out an order to “blast off” in a crowded room filled with deaf people. He then says to them, “Don’t worry, I said the same thing to my wife when our children were born.” A pun that plays upon the expression ‘blast off’, as well as parent’s hearty devotion to their children.

Second, the nonsensical logic. At times, dad jokes utilise illogical but perfectly phrased statements which, when ordered correctly, become almost poetic. Such as a father punching an overflowing sink and shouting “Come on, give already!” to which the daughter responds “Why, what’s up?” Every shred of logic is absurdly ridiculous, yet it stands on a pedestal made out of humour mixed with a sprinkling of silliness.

Third, the deliciously irreverent jab. Dad jokes often employ a sense of cultural relativity in order to impress upon their audience the relevancy of their subject matter. For example, a father installs an alarm at his local beach that plays a loud and long scream every time a wave touches the shore. When his daughter asks him why he’s done it, he smiles and says “That way everybody will think the beach is haunted!” Taking a cultural staple, the haunted beach, and making its application functional in a comedic sense.

Fourth, the ‘mysterious stranger’ approach. Dad jokes often take a turn into the abstract as a result of their downright mercilessness. For example, a dad walks in to a room carrying a box which contains a suspiciously large number of questions. When his daughter, intrigued, questions him he responds “I just found them on the street, I think they might be someone’s homework.” Taking the everyday annoyance of faulty homework and turning it into a comedic goldmine of conversation.

Fifth, the exaggeration. An old classic, the exaggeration dad joke has been around since the beginnings of comedy itself. One particularly stern-looking father scolds his daughter for not cleaning her room and tells her that the floor was so dirty it was indistinguishable from ‘the ocean floor’. Everyone knew the floor wasn’t actually that dirty, but the extent of the exaggeration is what made this joke so enjoyable.